Card rack



March 4, 1969 H. E. KARKUT 3,430,114

CARD RACK Filed Feb. 3, 1967 INVENTOE. HENRY E. KARKUT United States Patent 3,430,774 CARD RACK Henry E. Karkut, Baldwinsville, N.Y., assignor to Henry E. Karkut Inc., Phoenix, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 613,830

US. Cl. 21150 Int. Cl. A47f 7/00 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention This invention relates to compartmented racks for holding cards with indicia thereon so that a card may be selected for labelling an object.

In post otlices, particularly, such cards, ticket-like in shape, are used to indicate the destination of various mail sacks used in sorting mail. The tie ropes of these sacks are provided with a metal window attachment into which a card may be inserted bearing printed numerals or other indicia denoting the substation or distribution point of the mail therein. Heretofore the cards have been held in conventional compartmented racks, often secured high on the wall, with a pile of cards for one destination point lying flat in each horizontally disposed compartment. To withdraw a single card from a compartment it was necessary to reach up, often above eye level, and at least partially withdraw the pack, then with moistened finger slide the top card off, and then return the rest of the pack to its storage position in the compartment.

Summary of the invention The present invention contemplates a compartmented rack securely holding such indicia cards, the bottom of each compartment having means at the rear to progressively stagger the edges of the cards so that a single card can be quickly and easily grasped and withdrawn.

It is, accordingly, the principal object of the invention to provide a compartmented card rack having means in each compartment to progressively stagger the end edges of the cards so that a single card can be quickly withdrawn.

Another important object is to provide such a rack which is light in Weight and compact and which may be economically produced and assembled.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended drawing, in which:

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a rack according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of FIG URE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a shelf mem- 3,430,774 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 her thereof as viewed in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Description of the preferred embodiment In the drawing, the rack 10 is preferably made of sheet aluminum and comprises a plurality of compartments 11 separated by horizontally extending shelves 12 and vertically disposed separating members 13.

Each shelf 12 is disposed in the rack at an angle of about 30 degrees to the horizontal, downward from front to rear, and has an upwardly turned flange 14 at the front thereof. Shelves 12 are slotted at 15, as best seen in FIGURE 3, the slots 15 extending from the flange 14 approximately half the depth or width of the shelves and slots 15 being substantially equal in length to the width of vertical member 13. The vertical members 13 extend through these slots.

At the rear of the compartment shelf floor in each compartment a triangular tongue 16 is struck upward, each tongue having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined upper edge 17 on which the rearward ends of cards 18 may be supported. The angle of inclination to the horizontal of the edges 17 is about 15 degrees.

Since it is diflicult to turn up the tongues 16 without a short portion of the upper edge normal to the shelf, each compartment is provided with a dimple or rounded protuberance 19 embossed upward from the shelf forward of the tongue 16.

It will be noted that, in the interest of saving space, an exception is made in the case of the bottom shelf 12 and, instead of tongues being struck upward, the whole rearward portion 12b of the shelf is bent upward to provide an inclined surface on which the card ends are adapted to lie.

The rearward edges of the vertical members 13 are notched at 20 for each shelf, providing an appropriately inclined edge on which the shelf at the rearward end of each slot 15 rests. The front edge of each member 13 is also rectangularly notched at 21 for the front flange 14 of each shelf. Holes 22 may also be provided in members 13 to aid in the assembly of the rack for the passage therethrough of aligning rods.

Rack 10 also is provided with a back plate 25, which forms the rear end of each compartment 11, and the fram ing channel members comprising bottom member 26, top member 27 and side members 28 and 29. These top, bottom, and side channel members are secured together by sheet metal screws 30 at the corners of the rack, as shown.

The channel members form the periphery of the rack and their back flanges secure the back plate 25 against the rearward ends of the shelves and the upper and rearward corners of the tongues 17. The back plate 25 may be provided with suitable holes for engaging wall supported hooks or other hangers. The front flanges of the side members 28 and 29 secure the front flanges 14 of the shelves in the rack and the flanges 14 hold the vertical members in place at the front of the rack.

The members 13 may be passed through the slots 15 in the shelves when the shelves are horizontal and then when all the members 13 and shelves are assembled the shelves may be turned to their angular position with the rearward ends of the slots engaging the notches 20 in the members 13. When the channel members 26, 27, 28 and 29 are secured together by the screws 30 all the parts are locked together to form the rigid rack 10.

In operation, when a bundle of cards 18 is inserted into a compartment 11, as shown at the top of FIGURE 2, the cards fall of their own weight rearward due to the inclination of shelf 12. The upwardly inclined top edges 17 of tongues 16, and the rearward portion 12b of the bottom shelf, separate the rearward edges of the cards 18 as shown. The front edges of the cards are similarly separated and arranged progressively staggered from the vertical with the bottom card protruding farthest. An operator, accordingly, can bring his finger downward and bend the bottom card down so that it can be grasped quickly and withdrawn.

When the supply of cards 18 in any compartment 11 becomes depleted, new cards can be added, preferably at the bottom of the bundle, and the cards rearrange themselves in progressively staggered relation.

It will be apparent that indicia, identifying the indicia of the cards in each compartment may be provided on the front of the flanges 14, and other indicia identifying the indicia of each row of compartments may be provided on the front flanges of side members 28 and 29.

As will be apparent to those familiar with the art, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiment disclosed therefore is to be considered in all respects as illustrative, rather than restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A rack for holding a plurality of cards in a plurality of compartments, comprising: a plurality of shelves extending from front to rear of the rack; a plurality of vertically disposed members dividing the shelves into a plurality of compartments, the shelves being slotted at the front for passage of the vertical members therethrough; a back plate forming the back wall of all the compartments; top, bottom, and side channel members securing the shelves and vertical members in place; and fastening means at the rack corners securing the channel members together; each shelf being disposed at a substantial angle to the horizontal downward from front to rear, each compartment at its rearward end having a tongue bent up from the shelf, each tongue having an upper edge disposed at a substantial angle with respect to the shelf and disposed at a small angle from front to rear with respect to the horizontal, each vertical member being notched along its Cir rear edge for supporting the shelves rearward of the slotends, each shelf having a bent-upflange at its front end, and each vertical member being notched along its front edge for receiving and supporting the front flanges of the shelves; whereby the flange and tongue in each compartment are adapted to support a plurality of cards for separating the front edges of the cards so that the bottom card is adapted to be separated for quick withdrawal from the rack.

2. A rack for holding a plurality of cards in a plurality of compartments, comprising: a plurality of shelves extending from front to rear of the rack; a plurality of vertically disposed members dividing the shelves into a plurality of compartments, the shelves being slotted at the front for passage of the vertical members therethrough, the shelf slots being substantially equal in length to the width of the vertically disposed members; each shelf being disposed at a substantial angle to the horizontal downward from front to rear, each vertical member being notched along its rear edge for supporting the shelves rearward of the slot-ends when the shelf is inclined from the horizontal, each shelf having a continuous portion along its front edge forward of the slotends, and each vertical member being notched along its front edge for receiving and supporting the continuous front portion of the shelves; whereby the shelves are supported by the notches along the front and rear edges of the vertical members.

3. The rack defined in claim 2 and including a back plate forming the back wall of all of the compartments; top, bottom and side channel members securing the shelves and vertical members in place; and fastening means at the rack corners securing the channel members together.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,923,982 8/1922 Koch 211-50 2,313,794 3/1943 Yates 211-10 3,269,788 8/ 1966 Kneer 211-10 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 912,649 4/1946 France.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 211-10 

